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Lithopanspermia in star-forming clusters.

Fred C Adams1, David N Spergel

  • 1Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, Physics Department; and Astronomy Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. fca@umich.edu

Astrobiology
|August 5, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Lithopanspermia, the spread of life between star systems, is more likely in star clusters. Simulations show that while individual rock transfer is rare, vast numbers of ejected rocks ensure widespread material exchange, potentially seeding life across young clusters.

Area of Science:

  • Astrobiology
  • Planetary Science
  • Astrophysics

Background:

  • The lithopanspermia hypothesis proposes life can spread between star systems via ejected planetary material.
  • Star-forming clusters offer unique environments with close stellar proximity and lower relative velocities, potentially enhancing panspermia events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the likelihood of lithopanspermia within star-forming groups and clusters.
  • To quantify the probability of rock capture and life transfer between solar systems in these environments.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized approximately 300,000 Monte Carlo scattering calculations to determine capture cross-sections for rocks by binary systems.
  • Developed fitting formulae to model the odds of interplanetary transfer based on ejection speed and cluster size.

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Main Results:

  • While individual ejected meteoroid recapture odds are low (1:10^3-10^6), the sheer number of ejected rocks (N(R) ~ 10^16 per system) ensures widespread material exchange within clusters.
  • An estimated 10^7 biologically-carrying rocks could be ejected from an active solar system, leading to 10-16,000 life-bearing rock captures per cluster.
  • An estimated 10^3-1.6 lithopanspermia events are expected per cluster under favorable conditions, with only 10^-4 impacting terrestrial planets.

Conclusions:

  • Lithopanspermia is a plausible mechanism for life transfer within star-forming clusters, significantly more probable than in interstellar space.
  • The study suggests that most solar systems within a cluster likely exchange rocky material, with a notable chance of life transfer.
  • Discusses implications for internal versus external seeding of life within clusters and the potential for Earth to seed young clusters.